Reality
by Emery Grace
Summary: Izzie and Denny go home after his heart transplant, but is it everything they wanted it to be?
1. Home

AN: So, this is my first authors note... and first Grey's story. Go me. Anyways, its a story about Denny _living_ and the relationship Izzie and him have after they leave the hospital. Honestly, I don't know where I am going with this... but hopefully it's somewhere good. It's not just going to be rainbows and butterflies (fluff!) although it may take a chapter or two to get into the real stuff. Okay, now that that's settled... off we go.

OOOOOOOOO

Isobel Stevens had fallen in love. With a patient. And while that was a clear cut no-no in the world of doctors, and even more so as an intern, it had happened. And she didn't feel bad about it. In fact she couldn't be happier.

Denny Duquette had arrived with a bad heart and from the moment he saw his doctor, Dr. Izzie Stevens, he had been captivated. It wasn't that she was beautiful (although she was); it was her deep brown sparkling eyes and that mischievous smile. He couldn't even help the words that tumbled out of his mouth upon meeting her for the first time, "Capricorn, single, loves to travel and cook." And he thanked God that she smiled instead of laughing in his face.

He found himself trying to be witty and charming, and as astounding as it was, she found it adorable and sexy. She began to dress up for him: put on a little lip gloss, wore her hair down, and put on a little perfume. She even found herself giggling. They disguised their growing bond in long games of scrabble and jokes, until Izzie couldn't deny the fact that their "harmless flirting" had grown into a _very _meaningful relationship.

Their journey had not been easy, in fact, it was a miracle not only that their relationship had survived, but that Denny had physically survived. His heart was bad, and if Izzie had not convinced him to let her cheat the new heart away from another man waiting, he would not be alive to look into those beautiful brown eyes. In retrospect he probably shouldn't have let her do it, steal the heart. But she was standing there, crying and begging him and telling him that she would never forgive him for making her love him. And from right then on, he was powerless. He would have ripped another mans heart from out of his chest if she had asked.

But here they were. Denny had lived through his heart transplant, asked her to marry him (and she said yes), and now they were preparing to leave the hospital after 3 weeks recovery from his surgery.

Denny was sitting in the bed he had occupied for so long. He wasn't going to need it any more. He was allowed to walk, he was allowed to live in his own home, with his own bed, he was allowed to eat whatever food he chose to prepare for himself, he could sleep without getting interrupted by doctors every other hour, and pee without a tube and into a toilet. And of course there were things that he would eventually be able to do, in a few months or sooner after a little rehab. Things like jogging, hiking, and having sex. That one was at the top of his list.

Denny was signing the last of the discharge paper work when he sensed her presence. He looked up from what he was doing, and there she was leaning against the doorway with a wheelchair and that gorgeous smile he loved so much.

"So, I hear someone has been a good boy and gets to go home today." Izzie smiled even brighter.

"Well, I don't know about that. I heard they were tired of our googly eyes."

Izzie raised an eyebrow, "I do not give googly eyes." Denny chuckled. God, she loved that laugh.

"Yes, you do. I should know, I see them everyday. Multiple times, in fact. It's actually rather disgusting, but I like you so I didn't want to say anything." Denny told her, grinning.

Izzie rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm going to let this whole googly eyes thing go, even though _you _are the one grossing everyone out," Izzie began, "because I want to leave this place sooner rather than later, and we both know, if I continue this debate, _even though_ I'm right, we will be here another hour. So, get your ass out of that bed, and let's go."

Denny smirked. He thought about putting up a fight, but the truth was, he wanted out of there just as badly, if not more, than she did. "Okay, but just know that you aren't fooling me. I know you want to get out of this hospital only so that you can take advantage of me as soon as we leave." Denny joked as he was getting up and walking over to her.

He stood for a moment in front of her. No matter how many times he had gotten up and was able to walk and stand in front of Izzie, it never got old.

Denny wrapped one arm around her shoulders and tangled his hand in her hair. "Let's go home, Izzie Stevens."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Okay, so thats it. Review please! Let me know how I'm doing on my first Grey's fic.


	2. Doubt and Excitement

Here's the next chapter... I'm not ENTIRELY happy with it... but I guess we'll see.

OOOOOOOO

"Take a left here. And then at the stop sign a right." They had been in the car for a little over 20 minutes and Denny was instructing her on how to get to his house.

"You are kidding me. This cannot be your neighborhood. These houses are _huge_, no, _BIGGER_ than huge." Izzie leaned over the steering wheel, looking at the houses incredulously.

Denny ignored her. "Okay, it's the one at the end on the left, the one with the long driveway."

"Holy crap."

They pulled up in front of the biggest and most beautiful house on the block, which also happened to be the only one with the long driveway. It was gray with a wrap-around porch and black shutters. It was stunning.

"Here we are." Denny said, still ignoring Izzie.

"This is your house? You live here?" Izzie asked skeptically.

"This is my house. I live here."

"Holy. Crap."

Denny laughed lowly. "Can we go inside now or would you rather sit out here in the cold looking at it from afar?"

OOOOOOOOO

They had gone into the house, leaving most of the stuff in the car to get later. Izzie was quietly walking room to room, her eyes wide. Denny was in tow, head down and hands in his pockets, while Izzie observed.

Finally, they circled back to the kitchen; the massive, beautiful, perfect-for-baking, kitchen. Izzie put her hands flat on the granite counter in front of her.

Denny grew impatient and was getting a little nervous about all the silence.

"Would you say something, Woman?!"

Izzie looked up slowly, her facial expression blank. Finally, her eyes grew soft. She walked to the other side of the counter to Denny. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, tucking her head in his neck.

"I've never seen a house like this." She said without much emotion.

Denny kissed her head, smelling the coconut shampoo she uses.

"I love you." He said.

"I know. And I love you. I just… I need to… do something. I need to bake something." Izzie said, unwrapping herself from around him.

Denny looked at her, eyes uncertain. But Izzie's eyes told him she needed this.

"Okay, kitchen's yours." He told her, putting his hands up in surrender. "Pantry's over there," he pointed, "and I don't know what's in there, but have at it."

Izzie smiled, "Thank you, Denny." She grabbed his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now get out. Find something to do." She pushed him out of the kitchen, giving him a playful smack on the ass.

"I knew you had a thing for my great ass, Stevens!" Denny called out, exiting the room.

OOOOOOOOOO

An hour and twenty minutes later Izzie found Denny in the living room. He had been hard to find; he hadn't made any noise, he was lying on the one couch that was under a window and tucked into the corner, out of site unless you walked all the way into the room. Denny had on glasses and his slippers and seemed to be really into this book.

"There you are." Izzie said walking toward him with a plate of cookies.

Denny closed his book and looked at her over his glasses. Izzie put the plate down, slipped her shoes off and sat on the couch, tucking her legs under her. Denny continued to silently observe.

Then she sighed and looked at him. At last, she climbed towards him and he made a little room for her to lay with him. She put her hand on his chest, unconsciously fingering where his scar was.

Denny rested his hand on her hip, buried his face in her hair, and waited.

"You have money, Denny, a lot of money. I didn't know that."

"I told you I was well-off."

Izzie continued as if nothing had been said. "You read. I mean, I know you read in the hospital, but I thought that was just an "I'm bored and in the hospital, so I'm going to read" kind of thing, not an "I _read_" kind of thing."

Denny opened his mouth to say something.

Izzie cut him off. "You wear glasses, Denny. I didn't even know that you wear glasses." Her voice cracked.

"I'm your fiancée and I didn't even know that you wear glasses. I don't know you. And you don't know me." Izzie said as her eyes started to water and she started to pull away from Denny.

Denny just held on tighter. "No. You know me. You _know_ me, Iz. And I know you."

Izzie looked at him, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I know you, Izzie. I know that you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I know that you are the most compassionate person I know. I know that you would go to extreme measures to ensure my survival, even if it means losing something that means more than anything to you. I know that when you are excited about something, you can't hold it in, your smile gives you away every time. I know that you hate to cry in front of people." Denny said, wiping away one of her tears with his thumb. "I know that your eyes are this amazing brown, chocolate-y color that I have never seen on anyone. I know your laugh, whether it's nervous, fake, or the one that is reserved specifically for me. I know you like to play dirty scrabble and that you can do girl on girl. I know when you sleep at the hospital so that you can see me first thing in the morning. I know that I _love_ you, okay? I _know_ you, Iz." Denny finished, brushing his hand over her cheek.

Izzie leaned into his hand and looked him in the eye. He leaned in and softly kissed her.

"We're going to be okay." Denny told her and she smiled softly.

"Yeah, we are." Izzie leaned in to kiss him again, this time slowly. After a minute, they both pulled away grinning at each other.

"Well, that was the first time we have been able to kiss for more than 20 seconds before a doctor walks in or your pager goes off or something." Denny said still smiling.

"And I look forward to doing that, among other things, _so_ much more often." Izzie told him smirking.

"Don't tease me like that. You'll get me all riled up and then you won't do anything about it because my heart will give out or something"

"Well, I guess I won't be able to walk around in my underwear or in a towel or naked..." Izzie shrugged snuggling back into his chest.

"Izzie!" Denny groaned while Izzie giggled.

They were quite for a few minutes as Denny played with the fingers of her left hand.

"We need to get you a ring."

Izzie looked up at him quickly, beaming. Her smile always did give away her excitement.

OOOOOOOOO

So, review this chapter, and then I'll give you more!


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